Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazines is an industry resource connecting foodservice operators, equipment and supplies manufacturers and dealers, and facility design consultants.
Issue link: http://fesmag.epubxp.com/i/619674
green tip Amelia Levin, Contributing Editor L ast July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a series of new rules prohibiting certain refrigerants because of their high global warming potential (GWP). The announcements, however, started a furry of rumors, worries and myths in the foodservice community because of the confusion about which refrigerants would be banned and how that might af- fect existing equipment and future selections. This article is meant to dispel some of those myths and clear up the confusion around which refrigerants are accept- able and which are slowly being phased out. There are several things operators can do — and do not have to do — before the new rules takes effect. We caught up with Scott Mitchell, J.D., P.E., senior engineer at the Technology Test Centers of Southern California Edison (SCE), for guidance. MYTH: The new EPA rules came out of the blue. REALITY: Under Section 612 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA's Signifcant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program has been evaluating various commercial refrigerants and making proposals and rulings about which are acceptable for different uses for the last 20 years, according to Mitchell. Over that period, the EPA has been consistently researching and evolving the list of alternative refrigerants with less harmful impact on the environment. Previous actions tended to focus on high ozone depletion potential (ODP) refrigerants. The EPA has also stated that it is concerned about toxicity, fammability, occupational and consumer health/safety, local air quality and ecosystem effects. The EPA evaluates these factors when con- sidering which refrigerant alternatives are acceptable. This past year, that focus has shifted to high GWP refrigerants. "When refrigerants leak, they escape into the atmo- sphere, so the EPA has been looking at the global warming potential of these refrigerants," says Mitchell. "Some of the commonly used ones can be up to 4,000 to 11,000 times as detrimental as carbon dioxide." MYTH: The EPA has de-listed all hydro-fuorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants used in commercial settings. REALITY: The EPA's SNAP has de-listed commonly used HFCs in certain applications, including R134A, R404A and R507 as well as other special refrigerants used in self-con- tained refrigeration and compressors (more on that later). However, the EPA has suggested more environmentally friendly alternatives. Newly acceptable refrigerants include R-448A, R-449A, R-450, propane and isobutane, according to Mitchell. Pro- pane, butane and isobutane belong to a family of refrigerants called hydrocarbons (HCs), which are naturally occurring substances that have been used as refrigerants in Europe for years and are now acceptable for use in commercial and Myths and Realities Re: New Refrigeration Rules When refrigerants leak, they escape into the atmosphere, so the EPA has been looking at the global warming potential of these refrigerants, some of the commonly used ones can be up to 4,000 to 11,000 times as detrimental as carbon dioxide. ©2016 InSinkErator InSinkErator is a business unit of Emerson Electric Co. The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. Keep food waste out of your refrigerator and out of landfills with a food waste management solution from InSinkErator.® From fast casual and restaurants to grocery stores and schools, our food waste management solutions help foodservice operations run at peak performance, enhancing day-to-day productivity by increasing staf eficiency, reducing operating costs and improving kitchen sanitation. www.insinkerator.com/foodservice • 800-845-8345 Refrigeration is for food. Not food waste.